Furman University plans large solar farm near main campus

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Furman University has announced plans to build a large solar farm on six acres near its main campus entrance, edging the campus closer to becoming a carbon-neutral university.

The Greenville News reports (http://grnol.co/2bOvdD8) the 743-kilowatt output project would bring Furman’s solar power generation close to 1,000 kilowatts, the maximum allowed on-site under state law.

Jeff Redderson, Furman’s associate vice president for facility and campus services, said the solar farm will reduce electricity expenditures campus-wide by up to 5 percent and greenhouse gas emission by about 3 percent. Redderson said the school’s board of trustees has approved the $1.7 million project.

Redderson said Furman has contracted with Power Secure Solar, a Wake Forest, North Carolina-based energy technologies and services company, to oversee the solar installation. The university will own the project.